Wormald designs fire protection solutions for Sino Iron project

Wormald, the fire protection specialist, has been selected to design and install a comprehensive fire protection solution at the Sino Iron project in Western Australia. The Sino Iron project is the largest magnetite and processing operation under construction in Australia.

Wormald was appointed by MCC Mining to develop and provide a sophisticated fire protection solution specific for the Sino site. The solution designed by Wormald will offer a high level of protection and include a range of sprinkler, deluge and detection systems as well as fire hydrants and hose reels.

Guo Qiang of MCC Mining said: “With such a major project, we wanted to work with a supplier with proven experience and expertise and Wormald has been providing specialised fire protection solutions for the mining industry for many years. Their dedicated team guided us through the entire process from initial design to project managing and installing an effective and tailored solution.”

The fire protection and detection systems installed at the Sino site comprise a sprinkler system complete with fire water supply, pumps, tanks and deluge system. The water deluge system is particularly suited to hazardous environments such as mining sites and facilities where fires may spread quickly or where valuable equipment surrounding a fire needs to be cooled.

In addition, a Simplex 4120 fire system network was installed which consists of approximately 40 VESDA detection systems and thermal detection for some of the smaller areas. The advanced VESDA detection systems are used for early warning applications and are suitable for mining operations where response to a fire is critical.   

The fire system network also interfaces with 20 third party detection systems and spans both the iron ore processing plant and port area facility, including the desalination plant. The facilities are approximately 30km apart and connected via a fibre optic cable.

Installation work on Process Line 1, the first of six process lines on the Sino Iron project, commenced in May 2011 and is due for completion later this year. Wormald intends to service and maintain the system for the life of the mine in accordance with Australian Standard AS 1851-2005.